Stephen c



(No Model.)

s. @.HOUGHTON. l

-PERMUTATION LOCK.

-Iwaten'ted Sept. 1 5, 1896.

, l zur. m d. e 4 a m l To all whom, z3 may eoaccrnf:

'ihvrrnn y arrivi trice@ nrnnN c. nouenrong'fensan' rnAncisoo,CALIFORNIA..

PERM ovarios-Loca.

SPECIFICATION `forming part yof Letters Patent-lilo. '567,900, datedSeptember 15, 18l96.

Application iiled May 28, 1895. 'Serlalliiol 550,909. (No I nodcl.)

lle it known that I, Strnrnnn C. lloUeH'roN, a citizen of the 'UnitedStates, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco andState of California, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvementsin Permutation-Locks; and l` do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof. Y

My invention relates to perm citation-locks; and its `object is toprovide a simple and cheap, but el'l'eetive, keyless lock havingchangeable combinations andadapted to be used for locking doors,drawers, Ate.

My invention is also particularly Vadapted to lock the driving-wheel ofabieycle. This forms an effective preventionof theft and at the sametime does'awaywii'h theinconvenience of separate chains and padlocks nowcommonly used. v

ln any situation, whether on a door, drawer, bicycle, or elsewhere, mylock is a permanent, although removable, attachment, and frein itsexceedingly small size andlight'weight it forms an almost unnotieeableaddition 'to thc structure upon which it is an attaelu'nent.

ln order that a clear understanding oi my invention maybe obtained,Idescribe it hereinafter in detail, and refer in my description to theaccompanying d1awings,which,`in the detail views, show my lock enlargedbeyond itsl actual size for the purpose of clearness.

In the drawings the lock is showrnas a matter of convenientillustration, as applied to the frame and crank-shaft of asaiety-bicycle of the diamond-fra1ne type, and Figure l 4is an elevationof the lock, in locked position,-

as applied at the junction of two tubes ofthe frame, a part of the.coupling and lthe crankshaft being shown in cross-section.` Fig'. 2 isa top plan of the same. Fig. Z3 is a central longitudinal section of.the lock. similar section ol' the lock-bolt. Fig. i is a cross-seetionon 'y i/ of liig. el', and Fig. (l is a cross-section on :o a; oi Fig.3.

A represents an external cylindrical casing having abase-ilange a, bywhich it is secured to the door, dra\`vc1, bicyclef1an1e, Aor otherstructure te 4which it is fitted. l n the draw ings two screws 1i lareshown for attaching it -the crankshaft. In this position it isentirelyout of the Wayland need never be removed :from the machines andas it can be made less than an inch land a half yin length and can weighless than two ounces it forms no appreciable addition to the machineeither in size or weight. p Y 4 The open end ofthe casing receives ahol.-` low sleeve l5, which forms a guide'for the head ci the slidingbolt C, the .easing and sleeve bein g preferably threaded to make thelatter easily removable. The bolt C passes entirely'tlncugh the easing,a hole cy being formed in the bottom of the latter to permit thebeveled'or rounded end of the bolt to protrude. lnA a recess d in thebolt is pivoted a yielding latch e, which is pressed constantlylocking-bolt forms a special feature of my invention and greatly adds toits convenience` 4and efiiciency, because at any time and by a singleinward pressure the bolt is automatically locked without regard to theposition ol the permutation rings or tuniblers. these tumblers the lowerone j is a stationary ring which rests upon `ashoulder or ledge 7o oi'the lock-casing and is held in position in any suitable way, as by alpinZ, rising from rsaid ledge and entering a small vslot il in -tl1e Thesecond .tumbler h is edge of the ring. operated by thelirst tuinblerg bymeans of the .pins it? g2, projecting from the respective tumblers, asindicated in dotted 'lines in Fig. 4) 1.). tumblers f/ and 7L to givesui'licient room for operating these pins. 'The ring or tumbler g) has apin y projecting from its upper surface, which is struck and directlymoved bythe turning of the bolt-head when pushed inwardly, the bolt-headhaving a corresponding pin 'b'. 'lll e tumblcrs are held V in place andprevented from moving upward by the sleeve B. l. As many o1' these ringsor tu lnblers can be used as desired, and l show in illustration three,of which two are movable.

Aispaciug-ring 'mgis inserted between the IOO o l Whenmade accordingto-the drawings, howbe drawn outward to the position shown in' Fig. A

In applying my lock to a bicycle I prefer to attach it at the junctionof two tubes of the frame above the crank-shaft, where it is entirelyout of the way. A small hole is drilled in the tube-coupling and acorresponding hole or holes in the crank-shaft, as indicated in dottedlines, Fig. l. Ordinarily a single hole in the crank-shaft will besufficient and will be so placed in relation to the cranks that at themoment of dismounting in the ordinary way it will bel approximatelybeneath the sliding bolt of the lock and preferably a little behind it.The bolt is easily pushed down by the hand, and if it should striketheshaft without entering the hole a very slight motion of the bicyclewill cause the beveled or y rounded end of the bolt to enter the hole,

where it remains locked until the combination is so arranged as topermit its withdrawal. I have referred before to this feature by whichthe bolt can be instantly locked as one of the special advantages of myconstruction.

In ordinary riding there is practically no danger of the bolt slippingaccidentally into the hole, since sufficient friction of the parts couldbe provided to prevent it from being jarred downward; but to absolutelyand posi- -tively prevent any possibility of this occurring I haveprovided a retaining device. (Shown in Figs. 3 and G.) This is a lightspring D, secured to the vtop of the sleeve B,

vand which follows the curve of the latter. Its free end is a tooth orprojection n, which enters a groove o in the bolt-head, and it has alsoa thumb-piece p, by which it is released from the groove.

' It is quite practicable to do away with the thumb-piece and with anynecessity for positively 'releasing the spring, because if the groove obe made quite shallow and of curved cross-section the bolt can be pushedin past the spring .without diicnlty, and the spring willautomaticallysnap into the groove as soon as the bolt is drawn out farenough.

ever, it is an easy matter to release the spring and push in the boltwith onehand.

It should also be stated that the retainingspring can, if preferred,beplaced withinthe casing, there being sufficient room below the tumblers,Fig.- 3, to secure such a spring to the interior wall of the casing. -Insuch a case the bolt itself is slightly grooved, enough for'the springto seat itself. Such a spring so arranged will hold the bolt securelyuntil a positive pressure is exerted in the bolt-head. This safetydevice is only used in situations where vjar and movement are expected.In. using my lock for doors, drawers, and the like it need not beprovided.

lVhat I claim isl.. A permutation-lock having a easing, a series ofrings therein, a bolt having sliding movement in said casing with acatch to engage the rings, said bolt being arranged to turn and operatethe rings, said rings being inclosedwithin the casing-to be inaccessibleexcept through the rotary bolt, substantially as described.

2. A permutation-lock having a casing, a series of rings therein, a bolthaving sliding movement in said casing with a catch to en gage therings, said bolt being arranged to turn and operate the rings which areinelosed within the casingl to be inaccessible except through the rotarybolt and means for holding the bolt retracted in all the positions towhich it may be rotated consisting of the catch on the casing engagingan annular groove extending about the'bolt, substantially as described.

S. In apermutation-lock and in combina-A tion, a casing having aninterior ledge or shoulder and an inner removable sleeve; a series ofnotched permutation-rings held between said sleeve and shoulder andinclosed within the casing to be inaccessible except through thelocking-bolt; and a sliding bolt having a yielding latch and projectingthrough the end of the casing, said bolt being arranged to rotate andoperate the rings substantially as described.

4. In a'perinutation-lock andin combination, a casing having an interiorvledge or shoulder and an inner removable sleeve; a series of notchedpermutation-rings, one or more being movable, held between said sleeveand shoulder; a sliding and turning bolt projecting from the casing, andhaving a yielding latch and a circular groove, and a spring vengagingwith said groove for holding said IOO IIO

